This trial conducted by the University of Basel evaluated the effectiveness of different physical activities in patients with high grade glioma and the impact on their quality of life. Endurance and strengths training were employed to investigate their impact on symptoms of depression, feelings of stress and anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, and physical fitness, compared to an active control condition.
After neurosurgical treatment and during adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy or combined radiochemotherapy, a total of 29 patients were randomly assigned to endurance training (n = 10); strengths training (n = 11); or active control condition (n = 8). Three weeks and six weeks later at the end of the study physical fitness was objectively measured with a 6-min walk test (6MWT) and a handgrip test. Participants completed a series of questionnaires covering sociodemographic information, symptoms of depression, stress, anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia.
In the endurance training and active control condition, self-rated symptoms of depression, stress, state and trait anxiety, and insomnia decreased over the time, while mere strengths training appeared to neither improve, nor decrease dimensions of psychological functioning.
Overall, endurance training and an active control condition appeared to favorably impact on psychological well-being among patients with high-grade glioma after neurosurgery and undergoing radiochemotherapy.
Caroline Chaul Barbosa Zampieri is a Neuro Oncologist from DASA and vice president of SNOLA
Article link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.03.058